All about Sea Glass and my adventures in collecting and designing. This blog is an extension for the original which can be found at www.mermaidspurseseaglass.com where you will find a gallery of Sea Glass Wearable Art. Thanks for visiting. I hope to inspire the Mermaid in you. Fair Winds and Calm Seas

Welcome to Mermaid's Purse Blog. This is for all Mermaids on land or sea who Love, Love, Sea Glass. These translucent baubles are yesterdays items transformed to true treasures of the sea. The allure of Sea Glass is in the history, science and appearance. Check back often to learn as I learn about Sea Glass. We'll journey together over shores and time, tides and currents, searching for the perfect pieces. Fair Winds and Calm Seas. Deborah Leon.....artist/collector

Friday, March 5, 2010

The second most asked question in my business after…where do I collect my Sea Glass? Is…..

How do I drill the Sea Glass?

In this Post we will start with the tools.

I have found that not all tools are created equal. In fact it took a lot of research, experimentation, practice and patience.

BREAK DOWN

1. Hand Drill: I prefer the Dremel400 XPR, it is light weight, fits my hand well, has 5,000 – 35,000 RPM, 10 speed settings, can be used with a drill press if desired, has endless number of attachments for every job.

2. Collets of various sizes to accommodate the different size drill bits.

3. Drill bits for making holes in glass. This part is huge! You are not cutting Sea Glass, you are grinding Sea Glass. I tried the others that are shaped with a point and spiral (INFERIOR). I order my bits from a wonderfull company call Rio Grande item # 349016. You just have been given the biggest tip for drilling.:)

4. A container for water…most use a plastic container. I feel most comfortable with this shallow finger bowl. A piece of sponge or wooden button is what I use to set the Sea Glass on top of while drilling in the water.

5. Glasses for protection and fine visibility. Many recommend safety glasses or goggles with a larger shield…these make me uncomfortable. A pair of glasses with larger lenses work out just fine for me.

Just a reminder, the items listed are tweaked to my preference. You too may have to experiment.

Next post well start talking about how to use our tools.

I know you may have questions..please feel free to comment and I will respond.

If you haven’t yet, subscribe to Mermaid’s PurseNewsletter to get the 5 part series on Sea Glass. (upper right corner of this page)

3 comments:

Fabulous post. I have an Inland grinder that I use for my stained glass. I am going to see if I can get an attachment to make holes. If not, I will be going out to get myself a dremel. Thanks for the instructions.

About Me

Grew up as an Air Force Brat..always lived on the coast, Taiwan, Lake Superior, Rhode Island and Southern California. My art and way of life is greatly influenced by Coastal Living. Have been an artist in various mediums my whole life and currently specialize in making Wearable Art with Sea Glass wrapped in Sterling Silver.